Advances in Dental Research, Vol 8, 337-348, Copyright © 1994 by International & American Associations for Dental Research

ARTICLES

Preventive therapy for periodontal diseases

N. W. Johnson and M. A. Curtis
RCS Department of Dental Sciences, Kings College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK.

Rational approaches to the prevention of destructive periodontitis should be based on a clear understanding of etiology and pathogenesis. However, we are dealing with a heterogeneous family of diseases in which different factors operate. It is an oversimplification to regard poor oral hygiene, and hence an accumulation of non-specific dental bacterial plaque, as the major risk factor. Epidemiological evidence indicates that host factors are likely to be of overriding importance for the most severe forms. The limitations of nonspecific plaque control are therefore discussed. Specific inhibitors of virulence factors provide a logical approach, but their clinical application awaits improved knowledge. Improvement of general health and resistance to disease by proper nutrition, the avoidance of intercurrent disease, and elimination of smoking and stress-induced risk are encouraged. The genetic basis of susceptibility to periodontitis is increasingly understood, and, while gene therapy is not likely to be a practicable approach to prevention, genetic markers of risk are emerging.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P.D. Marsh Microbial Ecology of Dental Plaque and its Significance in Health and Disease Advances in Dental Research, July 1, 1994; 8(2): 263 - 271. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J.W. Smalley Pathogenic Mechanisms in Periodontal Disease Advances in Dental Research, July 1, 1994; 8(2): 320 - 328. [Abstract] [PDF]